SALISBURY, N.C. – High school students who graduated in either 2020 or 2021 may now be eligible to have tuition and fees covered when they enroll at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and other North Carolina community colleges.

The state has expanded eligibility criteria for Governor Roy Cooper’s Longleaf Commitment Grant, which originally included 2021 high school graduates beginning with the Fall 2021 semester. Now, high school graduates from either the Class of 2020 or the Class of 2021 may qualify when they enroll in Spring 2022 classes.

Earlier this year the North Carolina Community College System received $25 million through the Governor’s Pandemic Relief Office to award funds to eligible 2021 high school graduates. Approximately 11,000 students have already received funding, and the broadened eligibility will enable even more recent high school graduates to benefit.

The Longleaf Commitment Grant Program allows eligible students to receive grant funds (not a loan) for tuition and fees during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years. The grant will end at the conclusion of the spring 2023 semester. Full-time students who qualify may be able to receive $700 to $2,800 per year for two years. Part-time students may be able to receive a partial scholarship.

“I encourage recent high school graduates to take advantage of this amazing opportunity,” said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. “Many students are wary of student debt, and this takes the worry out of beginning their journey toward earning a degree or transferring to a four-year institution. I am grateful to Governor Roy Cooper for his commitment to helping students navigate forward in North Carolina.”

Registration for the Spring 2022 semester is now open at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. For more information on the Longleaf Commitment Grant and other scholarship opportunities, please contact the Rowan-Cabarrus financial aid office at fin.aid@rccc.edu or 704-216-7222.